Meet Jezzy! She is an 8 Month Old Wheaton Terrier Poodle mix who has joined us for our Two Week Board and Train Program. Jezzy is here for basic obedience, potty training, kennel training, and leash pulling. Jezzy is very shy and needs some guidance to build her confidence. She does tend to cower and can be very timid as well around new people. Over the next fourteen days, Jezzy will work on her shyness and behavior, with hopes of becoming a very confident pup. Check in to see her progress!
Jezzy and I spent the afternoon getting to know each other. As you mentioned, Jezzy did get a little carsick on the way home and threw up in her kennel, but has been fine ever since. She did not eat her dinner and it is understandable considering new surroundings and a different environment. I took her out for a walk and introduced her to Heel, which means Jezzy is to walk next to me on my left side. She did not pull much but she did fall a little behind at times when I picked up my pace and had Jezzy catch up with some verbal encouragement. We will continue working on it as it will now be implied on every walk we go on.
Jezzy was introduced to Place today. This technique consists of having Jezzy getting onto an elevated object and remaining on it in a Sit or Down. It helps to build confidence in a dog and can be of great use whenever guests are over or if there is a knock on your door. To teach Jezzy, I used leash tension as guidance to have her front legs touch the bench, and I gave her back legs a boost to fully get her onto the bench. After a few attempts with my assistance, Jezzy caught on to the concept and began to Place on her own. She ate one cup this morning and did not throw up in her kennel during our drive to and from the park, and she also did well sleeping through the night with no accidents. She is a nervous pup and does get a little anxious, but I am hoping to ease her mind with more exposure and socializing.
Jezzy worked on her recall today which is known as Come to Sit. It consists of having Jezzy come towards me and having her Sit on my left side. I used a slip lead to guide her towards me and to steer her in the right direction to have her Sit. She is understanding what I am asking, but at times she still needs my assistance to Sit correctly. It is a work in progress, but she is making a good effort at improving it the more we practice. In regards to her food, I tried hand feeding her but she did not want it. Jezzy will not eat unless her food is inside of her kennel and no one is around. She was not eating the food by itself, so I mixed half a cup of her kibble with some hot dogs, placed it inside her kennel, and she ate most of it.
Jezzy was introduced to Down today. This technique can be one of the most difficult to teach considering it is a submissive position , and it can also make a dog feel vulnerable being down on all four. To teach Jezzy, I asked her to Sit, used leash tension to guide her towards the ground, and placed my hand over her back to keep her from sitting up. It took a few attempts with a few breaks in between, but Jezzy was able to accomplish her task. She is also doing better on our drives to places as she has not gotten car sick nor had an accident in the house or her kennel.
Jezzy and I drove out to a local shopping center to work with her in a more distracting environment. She did really well as we practiced her Heel when walking throughout the mall and showed no signs of pulling away or staying behind. Jezzy is also doing better at walking with a loose leash with little to no tension at all. I also worked on her Place and Down positions, but I kept a short distance considering it being her first time training in a public setting with lots of people. Over the next few days, I will be working with a longer lead to increase distance and work on her duration.
As I mentioned in the last pupdate, Jezzy and I are now practicing with a long lead to increase distance and duration. We worked on a few sessions in a low level distraction area to keep her in a relaxed state. When I would ask Jezzy to Sit or Down, I would take a step back and wait about five seconds before releasing her with a “Break.” Initially, Jezzy would come out of her position once I took a step back, but with repetition, she began to make progress. Every step I take back is an increase of five seconds, and I was able to get a good six foot distance from her. That was approximately about thirty seconds before releasing Jezzy and rewarding her with lots of praise. She will continue working on it with hopes of reaching the two minute mark, which is the goal that I would like Jezzy to accomplish.
Jezzy and I took a drive to a local Home Depot today. We began with a Heel throughout the store to have her adjust to the surroundings. During our walk, I noticed that Jezzy was scared of the shopping carts, so I worked her through it by pushing one myself and having her walk alongside me. She was very nervous initially, but I moved at her pace and patiently gave her leash tension as needed to have her follow through. I also worked on her Extended Sit, which she did very well in considering a forklift beeping in the next aisle, and completed her session with a shopping cart ride!
Jezzy and I went out to a local Petsmart to stock up on some supplies. She is making progress with her distance and did really well as a customer walked by her in one of the aisles. Jezzy also worked on her recall while we waited in line to pay for my items. When the line would move, Jezzy was asked to Sit, and I would then move forward, turn around, and ask her to Come. She also received many compliments on her good behavior by customers and employees. At the register, I asked Jezzy to Down as I paid for my things, and she did come out of it, but we reset, and she was able to follow through.
Jezzy and I met with other trainers and their dogs today, whom assisted me by serving as a distraction for Jezzy. Whenever Jezzy visits a new location, it takes her some time to adjust to her surroundings. I always bring her out of the car with a leash on and walk around with her to help with her anxiety and nervousness. She does well with distractions from a distance once adjusted, but has trouble with distractions when they are nearby. With distractions from a distance, I can step away about eight to ten feet, but with distractions that are nearby, she does well if I am within a four to six foot range. The next couple of days I am going to focus on having her work with her leash dragging in low distracting areas, with hopes of getting Jezzy working fully off leash.
Jezzy and I worked on a few leash dragging exercises today at a park around a few distractions. She worked around strollers, bicycles, and people that were out for a walk. We worked on all of her commands and she did well within a six foot distance. There were some instances where Jezzy would come out of her stationary positions, so I helped her through it by decreasing my distance by three feet, and increasing it by one foot whenever a distraction passed by. We worked in thirty second increments, and Jezzy managed to reach a ninety second mark, and is just thirty seconds shy from her two minute goal.
Jezzy continues to make progress around distractions and she is beginning to get comfortable around people. During our walk, she showed interest in the children that were playing along the beach. Usually, Jezzy would run and hide behind me trying to avoid them, but this time it was the complete opposite. I was also able to work on her Extended Down and increase a good amount of distance as someone walked very near her and a dog walking in the opposite direction. It was a great session and it was good seeing her tail up and wagging a little more.
Jezzy and I worked off leash today and she did very well. We took a walk throughout the shopping center and Jezzy kept up her Heel walking next to me. We worked on all of her commands and she has reached her two minute goals. She also worked on her Greeting Manners which is a huge obstacle that Jezzy has overcome. She is warming up more to people and at times, Jezzy wants to approach them and say hello.
Jezzy and I have been working on her Door Manners since day one of training. Whenever I would open the front or back door to go inside, Jezzy would always want to be first to go through. I began by asking her to Sit, and then opening the door. If Jezzy sat up, I would close the door and restart the process. Once she remained in a Sit with the door open, I welcomed her inside. We have been practicing everyday and Jezzy has made good progress. She can patiently wait for two minutes, but can wait longer with patience and consistency.
Jezzy has completed her Two Week Board and Train Program and is ready to come home. She has come a long way and has made progress in the short time she was in training. I want to thank you for trusting me with Jezzy and for the opportunity of having me work with her. She will truly be missed and I am looking forward to showing you what she has learned.
Comments